I don't know about you, but I always thought it was total bull when I was younger and was told that, "No matter how rude someone is, smile and be pleasant and maybe you'll make their day." My response in my head was usually, "Yeah right." I was trapped in the fundamental attribution error, meaning that when someone responded negatively to me, instead of assuming they'd had a bad day, I usually just chalked it up to that person being a total ass-hat.
As I started working in customer service, that feeling occasionally strengthened itself. Grouchy people only served to make me grouchy, and with retail being a fairly thankless job to begin with, it didn't endear me to the career field.
But the more time that went on, the more I saw that smiling, and being friendly...DID have an impact on people. Not always. Sometimes people left even crabbier than they walked in. But those few people, who left a little happier than they arrived, it became worth it.
So today, when I had to call my internet providers' customer service I had a pleasant surprise. We all know what it's like calling customer service for a phone/internet company. 20 minutes on hold, terrible muzzak, representatives that struggle to communicate, and usually a difficulty in getting the resolution you seek.
Today, at 8:30 am, there was no waiting, no holding, no transfering. The service rep was polite, she was friendly, funny, excellent at communicating, and had my problem solved in less than 5 minutes. She laughed when she misheard information, made sure I had all the information I needed if another problem arose, used my name and was positive and confident throughout the entire conversation.
Honestly? She started off my whole day on an awesome note. So thanks customer rep. Being friendly and positive, really does pay off. :)
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